Choosing the Right Windows 7 Version

PC & laptop users are rushing to get their copy to either run on existing machines or buying a brand new which has Windows 7 pre-installed.

Windows 7 comes in different editions, the top edition is Windows 7 Ultimate. Everyone does not requires all those professional and business edition features. You should spend wisely and chose just right version for yourself.

Here is a guide that will help you decide the right version of Windows 7 for you:
The Windows 7 version from which you can start is the Windows 7 Starter. It is the lightest of all versions which has mostly all main features of Windows 7. Probably it is for Netbooks but this veriosn lacks in its visual appeal, noone would like to buy this one for Netbook.

The second versions are Windows 7 Home Basic and Windows 7 Home Premium. Although there is not much difference between Home Basic and Home Premium but the Windows 7 Home Basic editon does not has Multitouch feature, games and media center. The Home Basic version has all basic features that a normal user needs in day-to-do use.

The version which is recommended for regular PC home is the Windows 7 Home Premium and it costs $119. It has Aero Peek for previewing programs and clearing the desktop, Aero Snap for resizing program windows and the Aero skin with its transparent Taskbar and window borders. This version also has Aero Shake, which is a fast way to clear the desktop. You can do this clicking and holding down on one program window and lightly shaking, hiding all the other open windows. The Aero Peek feature is only available in Windows 7 Home Premium and above editions.

Theme switching and customization is activated by default in Windows 7 and the Media Center and Media Player will let users to stream video directly to their desktops.
With the facility of networking, Home Premium user can create a Home Group. By using Home Group, user can sharing music files, videos and other files between computers that are all members of the Home Group. Windows 7 Home Basic users can only join such groups. You can upgrade Home Premium to either Professional or Ultimate using the Anytime Upgrade program. Home Premium version of Windows 7 does not include the Location-aware printing, presentation mode, and XP Mode.

Some of the features which are unavailable in Home Premium but available in Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate are:

BitLocker: It has the ability to encrypt drives for secure storage.
AppLocker: This application restricts Appication execution to a particular user from the Group Policy settings. It also has some advanced features.
Desktop Gadgets: Choose from default gadgets in Desktop Gadget Gallery; you can also download and install additional third-party gadgets.
Windows shell enhancements: Aero Snap, Jump Lists, and Windows Flip.
Power management: Users can edit default power schemes as well as create custom schemes.

Windows ReadyBoost: Support for multiple USB flash drives used as backup memory to improve performance.
Device Stage: A tool for managing and configuring user installed devices such as cameras, phones, and printers.

Windows Speech Recognition: Enter and edit text, and issue voice commands using a microphone.

Windows 7 Professional is the power user edition and costs for $199.99. It is good for Home and Office use. In 64-bit mode it supports up to 192GB of physical RAM but that will be restricted to 8 to 16GB via hardware.

Windows 7 Ultimate costs for $219.99 and it supports all those features plus a new feature called virtual hard-disk booting. It also has a subsystem for Unix applications. It is Ideal for developers and office/home power user.
All in all, there’s a lot to choose from, but the recommended version is Home Basic for average home user and Home Premium for more Daily computer users. Professional and Ultimate are recommended for Power Home and business users.